Between late August and the second week of October, five food and drink counters opened in Downtown Kansas City and three well-known Crossroads rooms closed. The five that opened are coffee bars, a donut shop, a bakery and a corner bodega. The three that closed were a three-floor food hall, a taco bar and a steakhouse. The new places are built around coffee and pastry, and the ones that closed were built around dinner and drinks.
That's a real change in how the district eats. The rest of this guide covers the five new doors, the three empty ones, and what the evening calendar looks like this month.
Five New Counters, Mostly Before Noon
Here's the fall lineup in the order the doors opened.
| Opened | Place | Where | What's on the counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 24 | Waterbird Coffee | Near City Hall and T-Mobile Center | Foxen Coffee from Monett, Missouri, Scratch KC pastries, art by local artists |
| Sept. 9 | Donutology | Street level at Crown Center, former Einstein Bros. Bagels space | Signature frosted donuts, the Flavor Lab for custom donuts, Fizzy Formulas drinks |
| By Sept. 24 | Guy's on Main | On the Streetcar line, across from Gallup Map & Art Company and Bazookas | Bodega shelves and a four-seat bar |
| Late Sept. | Remedy Cafe & Bar | 929 Walnut St., inside 929 Residences | Onyx Coffee, toasts, salads, sandwiches |
| Oct. 7 | Paris Baguette | 1360 Main St., Power & Light District | Pastries, cakes, specialty coffee, sandwiches |
Waterbird is technically a comeback. The Pitch reported that the cafe shut down in March and reopened under new ownership on Aug. 24, with pastries from Scratch KC and art for sale by local artists Adrianne Clayton and Angela D'Souza.
Donutology opened its Crown Center doors at 7 a.m. on Sept. 9 after moving from Westport. The move lines up with the shop's 10-year anniversary, according to The Pitch.
Remedy's opening hours tell the clearest story. The Kansas City Star reported that the cafe opened serving coffee from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The "bar" part of the name doesn't start until after Jan. 1, when Remedy plans to add alcohol. The coffee is from Onyx, the Arkansas-based company that was the first coffee shop named a James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Bar. The Star says Remedy is the first place inside Kansas City limits to serve it.
Paris Baguette took over the old Three Dog Bakery storefront on Main and opened on Wednesday, Oct. 7. It's the brand's third Kansas City-area shop, after two opened in Overland Park last summer. You grab a tray and wax paper and pick your own pastries. The fall case includes a vanilla scream ghost cake, spider mochi donuts and caramel apple streusel tarts.
Three Crossroads Rooms Went Dark
The closings came in a four-week stretch, and all three were places people planned a night around.
- Parlor KCMO, 1707 Locust St. Kansas City's first chef collective opened in September 2018 in a century-old building, with seven kitchens over three floors, an upstairs bar, a game area and a balcony over the Crossroads. It closed at 10 p.m. on a Saturday in late August.
- Session Taco, 409 E. 18th St. The East Crossroads spot, opened in 2017 by co-owners Adam and Jason Tilford, served its last day on Sunday, Aug. 30.
- Anton's, 1610 Main St. The steakhouse and taproom opened in 2012 in an 1898 brick building that was once a grocery store, and it dry-aged steaks from area ranchers in house. The Star reported on Sept. 21 that it would close as soon as it ran out of product, which the owner expected to take no more than a couple of days.
Parlor was the only one to give a reason tied to foot traffic. In the closing post quoted by Startland News, the food hall wrote, "Over the years, the environment around us has changed, and we've seen a significant shift in visitation." Parlor was part of the food hall and club portfolio of Colorado-based Meriwether Companies. Startland also reported that the kitchen owners inside were caught off guard by the news.
As of mid-October, no news coverage has named new tenants for 1707 Locust, 409 E. 18th or 1610 Main. All three are still empty for now.
Why the New Counters Sit Where They Do
Where the openings landed explains why they keep morning hours.
Remedy is part of 929 Residences, an $11 million renovation inside the Title & Trust Company building that includes 44 residential spaces. The Star reported that co-owner Aaron Chick, who opened Remedy with business partner Carter Jozsa, wants to draw people from around the metro, not just the neighbors in the building's residential spaces.
Paris Baguette landed in Power & Light because the district went looking for a bakery. "A world class bakery is essential to every exceptional neighborhood," John Moncke, president of the Kansas City Power & Light District, said in a release reported by The Star. He described the addition as "all about enhancing the downtown lifestyle." Note the word "neighborhood." It's the language of a district that sees people living around it, not just people coming in for a show. Owner Sandeep Khandelwal, who also runs the Metcalf Avenue location, told The Star he sees downtown as "an ideal spot for a Paris Baguette."
Donutology's new space is set up for quick stops. Crown Center parking is free for visits under two hours if you scan a QR code at a shop or restaurant inside, so a donut run doesn't come with a parking bill.
Guy's on Main is built for daily errands. The Pitch described it as a bodega with a four-seat bar on the Streetcar line, across from Gallup Map & Art Company and Bazookas.
Waterbird returned to its spot near City Hall and T-Mobile Center.
Downtown Evenings Now Run on a Calendar
The rest of October's evening lineup downtown is mostly ticketed or dated events.
- Through Oct. 17: The free local live music series at Power & Light wraps up its Sept. 4 to Oct. 17 run.
- Oct. 13: A guest-chef tasting with Nick Goellner at Power & Light.
- Oct. 16: Tough Enough to Wear Pink at PBR Big Sky.
- Oct. 17: Boulevard's Taps & Tastes at Current Landing, followed by a KC Current watch party, per KCUR's fall guide.
- Oct. 18: A free watch party at KC Live!.
- Oct. 23 to 25: PBR Outlaw Days at Power & Light.
- Oct. 24: The East Crossroads Fall Crawl, a free, 21-and-over bar crawl where you pick your own route, with specials and performances at participating venues.
The Fall Crawl covers the same East Crossroads blocks Session Taco left in August. Event schedules change, so check each listing before you head out.
This Week's Streetcar Detour
If your morning coffee run involves the Streetcar, there's a change this week. From Oct. 12 to 16, KC Streetcar is running fare-free Streetcar Link buses in place of downtown service while crews repair the track slab in River Market and City Market. The City Market stop is closed for the week, and service between Union Station and UMKC runs as usual.
We follow which ground floors fill, which stay empty and what that does to nearby homes, block by block. Blake & Associates will put that local knowledge into a no-pressure look at your place. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
